A weekend to watch in the Pacific Northwest

This weekend is gearing up to be a bona fide soccer smorgasborg in the Pacific Northwest for Vancouver Whitecaps FC, as the MLS squad, Reserves, W-League, PDL, and pre-Residency teams all square off with cross-border rivals.

Saturday evening sees the 'Caps taking on Portland Timbers in MLS action at JELD-WEN Field in their first meeting this season. You can always expect a heated affair between the two teams, and after Vancouver tied with Seattle Sounders FC last weekend, both sides will be in position to take the lead in the battle for the Cascadia Cup. You can tune in live at 7 p.m. PT on TSN, TEAM 1410 radio, teamradio.ca, and Bell Mobile devices.

If you’re one of the many fans travelling to watch the ‘Caps on Saturday, be sure to stick around for a second helping of the Blue & White on Sunday. Whitecaps FC reserves take on Portland Timbers reserves in a match slated for Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. PT at JELD-WEN Field.

If Portland Timbers fall in British Columbia, do they still make a sound? ‘Caps fans will get a chance to find out when Whitecaps FC U-23 attempt to clear-cut Portland Timbers U-23 in PDL action. The match is open to the public and free of charge, so come on out to Thunderbird Stadium on the campus of the University of British Columbia (UBC) for a great afternoon of soccer, kicking off on Saturday at 2 p.m. PT.

Also back on the north side of the 49th parallel, the Whitecaps FC women’s team have a derby match of their own when they suit up against Seattle Sounders women in the W-League on Sunday. The ‘Caps women were undefeated in their three meetings versus Seattle last season and will be looking to maintain that run at Town Centre Park in Coquitlam, BC, on Sunday at 4 p.m. PT. For ticket information, visit whitecapsfc.com or contact Hugh Hamilton at 778-330-1360.

Last up, Whitecaps pre-Residency teams will be ‘logging’ some time on the pitch when they compete in their second tournament of the year, The Friendship Cup in Portland, Oregon, this weekend. Three Whitecaps FC squads of players born in 1997, 1998 and 1999 will be looking to bring home some hardware. The teams will also get the opportunity to learn from the very best and possibly get a few pointers when they attend Saturday’s MLS match at JELD-WEN Field.